Do I smell smoke?

This is hardly “fine” woodworking…this is more summer “fun” woodworking. I will post some of my more serious woodworking projects later.

My wonderful family got me a great combination birthday/father’s day gift this year… A Kamado-style ceramic grill/smoker from “Primo” Grills and Smokers (similar to the better-known Big Green Egg Brand cookers). I have long enjoyed grilling, and as my wife says “The ceramic cooker should allow for many hours of your obsessive tinkering and experimentation”....she knows me well.

First order of business, of course, was to combine my hobbies and build a cart for the smoker. See photos above.

This was a simple but fun project that gets used a lot!! Since the smoker’s body is VERY thick ceramic, it is VERY heavy. 200-250 pounds, I believe. So, this stand was built to be strong rather than pretty.

The cart is made from standard pressure-treated lumber for the legs and the horizontal structural components and Trex-brand composite decking for the shelf and top surfaces. Since Trex cannot support much weight, the pressure-treated lumber was necessary for the structural components. As a woodworker, I cringe at the use of materials like Trex, but I must admit that they do have their place.

I used concrete pavers under the grill to protect the decking material from heat. The rear wheels are replacement solid-rubber “handcart” wheels. The front wheels are industrial-rated swiveling casters.

The photos don’t show it, but the cart also has a mount for a beach umbrella to shade the bald cook from the sun. With my wife’s multi-colored umbrella in place, I must admit that the smoker cart looks a bit like a hot dog stand.

Nice work… I must say that when I was looking for decking material I almost went with Trex… then last minute switched to Ipe… I have been very pleased both with the look and durability (4 times the density of oak)... my deck is like a peice of furniture.

Yes, it is a beast to move around the yard, and so I don’t move it much. Only when necessary. It is HEAVY. Luckily, my yard is flat, or this thing would not be rolling anywhere.

and yes…the front casters do sink into the ground. If I changed one thing about my design, it would be different (larger) casters on the front. The rear wheels are fine.

The bucket buddy has worked out very well for grill tools. It is deep enough to hold long things like tongs or grill forks, and is easy to carry everything back into the house in one shot. It was my wife’s bucket buddy for the garden, but I noticed that it wasn’t getting much use…and so I “borrowed” it (permanently).

As to the Primo-brand grill itself, I love it. It is very similar to the Big Green Egg, only larger. I think that you cannot go wrong with either one, but because this one is oval shaped rather than round (like the egg), it holds slightly more. Plus, the Primo is made in the USA…which is nice.